The Washington Spirit used the first pick in the 2018 NWSL draft to select midfielder Andi Sullivan. An emerging fixture for the USWNT, Sullivan had a dominant NCAA career with the Stanford Cardinal, capped off by winning the 2017 M.A.C. Hermann trophy and captaining her side to their second-ever national title.
“I want to be here, playing in the NWSL,” said Sullivan, who added that she wants to help grow the league. Addressing speculation that she might have been pursuing options abroad, Sullivan said that the delay on registering for the draft was simply down to her taking some time off from all things soccer after the NCAA season ended.